Pirate AU
by BadWolfInk
Summary: What if Rose Tyler and John Smith ended up on a pirate ship? Well in this AU, you can find out!
1. Chapter 1

She'd run off to catch a glimpse of the ships as they came into the port and was perched on one of the piers when the black ship came.

"Well what have we got here?" came a rough voice from behind her.

Rose turned to see two of the men from the ship leering at her.

"She's a pretty one. And all alone too. What do you say we take her to the captain?" The first one looked at his comrade and winked.

Rose didn't have time to run before they grabbed her arms and hauled her off the post and up the gangplank, a hand over her mouth to keep her from calling out. That didn't stop her from squirming and trying to break away.

"Oh she's feisty too. The captain'll like that."

She was brought down below decks to the captain's chamber and thrust forward.

"Look what we brought for you," the second man said. "She won't be missed. We found her by herself on the pier."

The captain turned around and eyed Rose. "She'll do. Put her in a cell until I'm ready." He turned back to the letter he was reading.

"I demand to be let free," Rose said before she was grabbed.

The captain looked up and ordered his men to stop. "What did you say?"

"I demand you let me go now. I don't see any reason for my being aboard this ship." Rose raised an eyebrow and stared.

"When I'm finished with her, throw her overboard," the captain said.

Rose found herself roughly thrown into what looked like a jail cell. She crawled and leaned against the wall, arms around her knees. She didn't know what to do next. Rustling came from the shadows nearby and she looked around. "Hello?" she whispered tentatively.

A man who looked to be in his mid twenties made his way slowly into the dim light. "Who are you?" he asked quietly.

"I'm Rose Tyler," she answered. "Who are you?"

"I'm John Smith. I'm a stowaway, a traveler trying to get a ride away from London. Why are you here?" He moved to sit beside her.

"I got taken for the captain." She put her head in her hands. "I was stupid enough to go down to the docks alone."

John wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Between you and me, I think we could get out of here, what do you think?"

Rose blinked at him, unsure of why this stranger would be so kind. "And then what?"

"And then I take you to see the world."


	2. Chapter 2

"You've got to steal something that will help us to escape when they bring you out. They don't know I'm here, or else they wouldn't have put you in here with me."  
>"John, they're going to drown me when I'm no longer of use. What if that's now?"<p>

John cupped her cheek. "Rose, he'll not want you just once. You'll be okay. I promise."

She nodded. They heard footsteps. "John, why are you in the cell and not hiding somewhere else?" she asked quietly.

"Something told me to, that I'd need to help someone." He retreated back into the shadows. "Stay strong, Rose. You can do it."

A few hours later, she was thrown back into the cell. Rose curled in the corner, whimpering quietly. John came toward her to talk but she shied away, curling up tighter. He sighed and went back to his own corner. He hadn't been completely honest with her and he had to tell her the truth before they continued.

He knelt beside her in the morning and touched her shoulder gently. "Rose? It's me. Are you alright?"

The shake of her head was barely perceptible.

"Rose, I…I'm in here because I was put in here a while back. I don't know exactly how long ago it was. The crew thinks I'm dead. Well, all except for one, who's been helping me. I am a traveler. I used to be a stowaway but they found me. He'll help us escape." He didn't care at this point if she was paying attention to him.

That seemed to get her out of her new shell. She slowly uncurled and looked at him. "I got a knife," she whispered, pulling something out from under her dress.

John took it and examined it. "That's my girl." He kissed her forehead. "We're getting out of here today."

"Shouldn't we wait until we've pulled into some port?" Rose wondered.

"Do you really want to wait a long time? We don't know where we're going."

"Okay." She sat up and pulled her knees against her chest. "I just want to go now. Please. Can we do that?" her voice sounded broken.

"I'm going to try, Rose. It's his turn for watch today."

She nodded.

He told her stories about the places he'd visited all over Great Britain. He'd gotten into some trouble in London and was looking to go somewhere else, to Asia, perhaps. "I hopped the first ship I saw. I didn't care what it was, and I didn't care where it was going."

Rose watched him. "Sounds amazin'," she said softly.

"When we get out of here and make it to land, I'll take you wherever you want to go. I'll give you the world."

"Can we go home first?" She looked up at him with big eyes.

"I can take you home, if that's what you want." Footsteps kept him from continuing. He held up a finger and ducked into the shadows.

Rose watched a tall man approach the cell. "John here?" he whispered. "It's Jack."

She didn't respond, not knowing who the man was. John, on the other hand, knew who it was.

"What news have you got for us this time?" he asked, coming out of the shadows.

Jack motioned toward Rose. "This the new girl they brought on?" he asked. When John nodded, he continued. "You're still safe. We'll be dropping anchor in a few days or so. Somewhere in Scotland, I'd assume."

John shook his head. "We can't wait. I want Rose out of here now. Rose and myself. Can you do anything?"

Jack thought about this and smiled. "I'll see what I can do. If I don't come back in a few hours' time, know that I've failed. But since I won't fail, I'll see you soon." He winked at Rose and dashed off to his other duties.

"What use is one man against this whole crew?" Rose asked quietly when he was gone.

John sat beside her and explained. "Jack's a fighting man. He's one of the toughest men I've met. If anyone can get us out of here soon, it'll be him." He leaned over. "Him and your intelligence."

"What intelligence?" Rose furrowed her brow.

"That knife you stole. Brilliant. And now we wait and see what news Jack turns up with."


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't long of a wait. Rose guessed it had been about two hours before Jack came down to the bottommost part of the ship. "I've drugged the crew," he said. "They'll be out for a while now. Turns out drinking and a little bit of herbs can knock a full grown man out for a few hours." He looked between the two of them and held up the keys. "Anyone for getting out of here?"

John stood and helped Rose to her feet. He showed the blade to Jack and explained, causing Jack to pull Rose into a tight hug. She froze up, and John whispered something into Jack's ear.

"Sorry," he said when he let her go.

Rose regarded him warily. "Let's get out of here," was all she said.

They tiptoed up the stairs and made it onto the deck uninterrupted. Rose stood by while they freed the lifeboat from it's ropes and hauled it overboard with a splash. "Not many ships have these, but ours was an old mercenary ship," Jack explained. He showed Rose the ladder. "Just follow John down and I'll come after."

She thanked him and descended the ladder. John helped her onto the boat and steadied her. "I've no idea how long we'll be in here," he said grimly.

Rose shrugged. "As long as I'm away from here, I'll be fine."

Jack tossed down a satchel and climbed down quickly. "Let's get moving," he said, picking up the oars. In a matter of minutes they were away from the looming ship. "I reckon we'll get far enough away from them by the time the drug wears off so that they don't know which way we've gone."

"And if we don't?" John's face ordered him to tell the truth.

"Then it was nice knowing you both," Jack responded. "Especially you, Rose." He winked at her.

She didn't react.

"Let's just get to land," John reminded him. "We can talk about other things later."

Jack nodded sharply and rowed faster. It was a long three days until Rose sat up and pointed toward the horizon. "Does that look like land, or is it just me?"

The men squinted in the direction her finger was pointing. "I think you're right!" He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "You brilliant, clever woman."

Rose grinned shyly. "I told you, I'm not brilliant. I'm just average."

"Nothing is average about you."

"Now you're just sayin' things." Rose turned to watch their approach.

They arrived at a port in Grimsby. "I know someone here that can help us," Jack said as they climbed onto the dock.

"You know someone everywhere," John said, giving Rose a hand. He steadied her on land. Looking around, he continued. "Never thought I'd see England again. At least not in this life."

Jack slapped him on the back good-naturedly. "Come on then, let's go get cleaned up and get some rest." He led them into town, where there was an inn. The trio went in the back. Jack called the owner, who embraced him.

"Good to see you again, Jack," he said. "How long has it been?"

"Too long. Can you do me a favor and give me two rooms for the night? My friends and I just came to town, but we'll be leaving tomorrow."

Rose found herself spending the afternoon in the company of the owner's wife. "We've known Jack since he was a young lad," she told Rose. "He's always been welcome at our table." She set down the brush she'd been using to comb Rose's hair. "There, all done. How did you come to be with Jack and his friend?"

Rose looked down and fidgeted. "I was kidnapped. They were on the ship I was brought to. John kept me company. Jack helped us escape."

"Oh darling! Well I'm so glad you three made it out safely. You must send a letter to your family at once!"

Glad to not discuss further her experiences on the ship, Rose agreed, and quickly wrote out a letter to her mother, outlining her kidnapping and subsequent escape. "I shall be returning home as soon as possible," she finished, and signed her name with a flourish. She was glad to be back with Jack and John at the end of the day and glad for the sleep that she found.


	4. Chapter 4

But the sleep did not last. Rose awoke from a nightmare with a gasp. She looked to the bed next to her. The sleeping form of Jack did nothing to reassure her. John had opted for the pallet, saying he felt more comfortable on the floor. Rose decided that she agreed, and climbed out of the bed, taking a pillow and one of the blankets with her, and lay down beside John. Hesitantly, she leaned against him, pressing her face into his chest, hoping his presence would chase away the nightmares.

John shifted more comfortably, draping one arm around her, acknowledging and accepting her presence. The rest of the night was peaceful, and she woke up to find him watching her. "Is everything alright?" he asked quietly, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

Rose ducked her head. "I had another nightmare," she replied. "I was back on the ship and—"

John tucked a finger under her chin and lifted her head. "Rose, forget about it. I won't let it happen to you ever again."

"They killed you," she whispered.

He pulled her close. "It's just a dream, Rose. It's just a dream."

Jack came into the room then, fully dressed. "Good, you two are awake. How soon can we go?"

John looked at her and laughed. "Give us five minutes and we'll be ready to go."

"I'll go borrow some horses." Jack left without further conversation.

Rose wriggled out of John's embrace and stood. "I'll just—"

"I'll dress elsewhere," John interrupted. "I'll see you downstairs then." He stood and left, taking his things with him.

Rose dressed quickly. Jack met the pair in front of the inn with two horses. He handed a leather satchel to Rose. "Food for the trip," he explained. "With horses, we should be able to make it most of the way to London in two days at the most."

John helped Rose mount and then climbed up in front of her. "Allons-y!" he said

"What does that mean?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his torso.

"It's French for 'let's go'," he replied.

It took them five days until they were standing on the doorstep of Rose's home. She found John's hand with hers and, taking a breath, knocked on the door. Her mother opened the door and instantly pulled her daughter into a hug. "I thought I'd lost you," she said.

Rose let go of John's hand to embrace her mother. "I'm back, mum. I'm okay."

Jackie Tyler, the men soon learned, invited them into the house. She thanked John and Jack. "I'll be forever grateful to you."

They recounted their journey to Jackie, who had nothing to say afterward but thank you. Jack told her they'd be staying in London, going out to find work the next day, and she was ecstatic. "You'll have to come visit plenty," she said.

Rose smiled, glad to know this wasn't the last she'd see of them.

They stayed the night in the spare room and before they left, John pulled her aside. "Rose, would you wait for me? I—I'd like to marry you. Well, if you...Rose, will you marry me?" The words came out rushed and jumbled.

Gently, Rose put a hand on his chest and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. "John Smith, I would go anywhere with you," she answered quietly. When he looked at her, confused, she nodded and pulled him in for a hug. "Come back to me," she said as he got on his horse.


	5. Chapter 5

Epilogue:

He took her hand at the alter and whispered "Run" as he kissed her. That night, as she lay in his arms, she felt the illusion of a double heartbeat.

They never stopped running. He took her to places she'd never dreamed of, new cities and towns to explore. It wasn't until she discovered she was pregnant that they stopped and moved back to London. But the wanderlust never stopped. Rose Tyler and John Smith never let go of each other's hands and never, ever stopped running.


End file.
